National Ballet of Japan has revived its production of Giselle, created by Artistic Director Miyako Yoshida and her former colleague at The Royal Ballet, Alastair Marriott in 2022, it received critical acclaim at the time. The company brings this production of life and death, betrayal and forgiveness to the Royal Opera House in London in July, its first overseas tour for 16 years. The company has put tremendous effort into coaching the dancers carefully to meet the demands of the British audience.
Yosihda and her staging assistant Jonathan Howells, have focused on coaching the drama, especially in the mime scenes. In the first act, all the characters on stage, including the villagers and peasants were lively with each one of them having their own backstory. This Giselle has some particular stories such as Berthe, Giselle’s mother who runs a vineyard. She is a leader in the community and the first act is set during the harvest. There is a child who is chosen to represent Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and who plays an impressive part in the harvest ceremony, witnessing Giselle’s tragic death.
Ayako Ono was the opening night’s Giselle. Her girlish charm and impeccable technique have not diminished even in her 18th year in the company. She displayed excellent musicality with soft, silent landings and airy leaps. She delicately embodied the very sweet, innocent peasant girl who falls in love with Albrecht (Yudai Fukuoka), a nobleman disguised as a villager. When Albrecht’s betrayal comes to light and Giselle recalls her happy memories with him, Ono appeared truly broken.
After her tragic death, Giselle appears in the dark graveyard as a Wili, the spirit that young women betrayed by their lovers become when they die. Ono was ethereal, willowy but she maintained the warmth of the girl she used to be. Her musical phrasing combined with precise footwork, reflected her eternal love for Albrecht. Along with the other great Giselle of the company, Yui Yonezawa, who returned on Saturday from an absence from the stage due to heart problems (yet gave the performance of a lifetime), both should be sensational in their Royal Opera House debuts this summer.
As her Albrecht, Fukuoka seemed to be enjoying his love affair without much thought, a flirty young man who realized he was in love with Giselle only after her breakdown and death. Yet he was full of remorse in Act 2, and even though he was forced to dance by the Wilis, his leaps were full of passion. The quality of his entrechats, brisés and partnering was clean and excellent. Yoshito Kinoshita as Hilarion, the forest warden who loved Giselle but was ultimately rejected by her, gave a brilliant portrayal. He came across as really caring for her which made it all the more unfortunate that he was hunted down by the Wilis.
This revival showed much improvement in the corps de ballet, especially with the peasants' ensemble dancing including many complicated patterns. Kasumi Okuda and Shunsuke Mizui were excellent in the first act Peasant pas de deux with their crystalline classical technique, fast footwork and precise coordination.
The Wilis, female ghosts in the second act danced in unison and were otherworldly and beautiful. However, they also made the audience feel that they were individuals who had their own tragic love story and were seeking vengeance.
Myrtha, the Queen of the Wilis was superior on the second night with Yui Negishi’s stage presence and delicate bourées, huge airy leaps, she had the charisma that this role needs. Mho Higashi and Miho Naotsuka were brilliantly spellbinding as Moyna and Zulme, Myrtha’s attendants.
When the curtain rises in London in the summer, the audiences will almost certainly be enamoured by Dick Bird's elaborate set designs. The village surrounded by tall, white birch trees and red autumn leaves are quite something. The second act is equally breathtaking, the dark graveyard with a hill at the back covered by multiple small crosses, was inspired by The Hill of Crosses in Lithuania and creates a ghostly, mysterious atmosphere. It will be interesting to see how the UK audiences regard this production and the company, but with the delicate, touching and exemplary performances of Ono and Yonezawa as Giselle, I am sure the tour will be a memorable one that should not be missed.
